Call of Duty 2024 rumors, leaks and zombies – everything we know so far

Call of Duty 2024 has not been confirmed by Activision but the rumor mill is beginning to pick up steam as we head deeper into the year. Call of Duty games typically arrive towards the tail end of the games calendar. So if there is going to be a new game, it’ll likely arrive between October and November this year. While details are scarce, there are still a few bits of information in the form of rumors that we can evaluate. So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know.

What’s this year’s Call of Duty?

We don’t know exactly what this year’s game will be. However, we reported that a number of Call of Duty games – at least for the next few years – have been leaked. Among the leaks, which are not verified, was a title within the ‘Black Ops’ series of CoD games. It’s rumored to be developed by Treyarch, who has handled the Black Ops saga since it kicked off in 2010. Further evidence that a new entry to the Black Ops saga is on the way emerged in 2023 when actor Luke Charles Safford posted on Facebook, claiming that Activision was using his likeness in the next game. The post, originally reported by Insider Gaming, has since been deleted, but stated Safford’s likeness would be used for a character called Ratcliffe in this year’s game.

Later rumors suggest the game will be called Black Ops: Gulf War, and feature more fleshed-out open-world elements similar to that teased in Modern Warfare 3. Again, a report from Insider Gaming claims the game worlds will be so large that you’ll be able to fast travel and take vehicles to get to different locations on the map. There is no word yet how large the map will be, or if the game takes place on a vast map – with different missions and objectives set within it.

‘Should Call of Duty: Gulf War be open-world, it must not sacrifice the cinematic pace associated with the best COD campaigns’

Should the game go down the open-world route, which we have seen with the likes of Warzone and DMZ, it’ll represent a complete overhaul of the Call of Duty campaign experience. Typically, all of the Call of Duty campaigns have been ‘on the rails’ with minimal open-world elements bar some small sandboxes to explore. Last year’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 attempted to add open-world elements to the campaign, but these were not as fleshed out as they could have been. The result? They felt too familiar to DMZ and lacked the structure and intensity often associated with a more cinematic, linear experience.

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Teasers incoming

Activison usually teases the new Call of Duty long before it’s announced. The last game was officially announced on August 7th – three months before release. We expect a teaser, which will likely not show too much gameplay, around the same time this year.

There is a silver lining, though. There are also rumors and reports that this year’s game has been in development for four years. This suggests that it could be a far larger and more complicated title than we are used to, especially when compared with Modern Warfare 3, which many thought was rushed.

Call of Duty 2024 zombies leaks

There are several Call of Duty 2024 zombies leaks that should excite fans disappointed by MW3. These leaks suggests the return of return-based zombies, and they also suggest that there will be two maps. One map will take place on a creepy carrier ship, meanwhile, the other is situated in an open city map with multiple zones such as a bank and church.

The city map will also reportedly be scattered with useable machines currently datamined as LTGD, Pressure Gauge, and EPP. Returning classic features found around maps will include Mystery Box, Pack a Punch, large ammo cache boxxes, and a new mysterious device named Dark Aether Field Emitter. Lastly, datamines indicated Gobblegum machines from Black Ops 3 are returning, too.

So, when is this new ‘Call of Duty: Gulf War’ coming out?

If we’re to take a guess at a Gulf War release date, assuming it’s called that, we would suggest a window between late October and early November. This is because Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 released in October 28, 2022, but last year’s game arrived on November 11. This time of year is typical for Call of Duty titles, so we don’t expect anything to change drastically.

What platforms will Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War release on?

Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Despite Microsoft finalizing their acquisition of Activision and Blizzard, the CoD series is remaining multi-platform.

While it’s guaranteed to launch on current-gen consoles and PC, there are reports that the game will support last-gen PS4 and Xbox One, too. This has left some fans disappointed as Call of Duty has already supported last-gen for over five years compared to just three for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Pre-order bonuses

A rumored pre-order bonus for Call of Duty 2024 includes early access to zombies. This rumor suggests that there will be a weeks of early access incentive along with days. Although not specified, it’s possible the weeks of early access to zombies could be for one of the more expensive editions with days of early access for the campaign reserved for pre-ordering the Standard package.

If it’s based on the Gulf War, what actually happened?

Oh, you’re after a history lesson? Sure. In August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait under the leadership of Saddam Hussein. This was done with the intention to seize the nation’s oil reserves. This triggered an international crisis, which led to a US response following the United Nations Security Council passing Resolution 661. Within days, thousands of US troops were on the ground, the first landing in Saudi Arabia with the permission of King Fahd. From here, the US dispatched its Rapid Deployment Force – acting as a deterrent as Saddam’s troops neared the Saudi border. The following months saw the US undertake an enormous military operation. This year’s game is rumored to focus on some of the lesser-known parts of this conflict, although we’re not sure yet exactly what that means and how that will play out.

Will there be Call of Duty: Gulf War early access at all?

Potentially, yes. As we reported, there is a chance the game will land on Game Pass. As per Modern Warfare 3, we are also expecting some sort of early access for those who pre-order the game. If it’s anything like last year’s game, “The full Campaign, of course, is available up to one week before the game’s official launch on November 10 and is available through Campaign Early Access, included in all digital pre-order editions of Modern Warfare III.”

Call of Duty 2024 maps

Rumors indicate that Call of Duty 2024 will remaster the classic Black Ops map, Nuketown. Although not official, this wouldn’t be surprising as Nuketown has been a staple of the Black Ops series.

After its original debut, Nuketown was in Black Ops 2 as Nuketown 2025, and it was last remade in Black Ops Cold War as Nuk3town. It has also been featured in Call of Duty Mobile.

Unfortunately, there are no other maps mentioned other than Nuketown, but apparently the Nuked city map will not be the only remade battleground from Black Ops history.

Return of Verdansk to Warzone

When Call of Duty 2024 comes out, it will essentially replace Modern Warfare 3 for integration with the main Warzone experience. Rumors suggest that this will result in the return of Verdansk to Warzone by the end of this year.

No specific version of the original Warzone Verdansk map has been specified, but it will apparently be a ‘fan-favorite’. While Black Ops Gulf War is slated to release in October, Verdansk will reportedly return to Warzone with Season 1 which suggests December.

How about guns? What sort of weapons can we expect in COD: Gulf War?

Well, these will be very much in line with the era – although we know there will be more than 100 weapons, streaks, perks, and more in the multiplayer mode. In fact, a data miner has leaked what they claim to be every weapon in the game. While this list is unconfirmed, notable weapons that were used during this period include the following:

• M1 Garand
• M16A1
• M9 pistol
• MP5
• M1911 pistol
• Ka-Bar
• M40 Sniper Rifle

Chances are we’ll see a handful of these, not using their official names, in this year’s game. Time will tell which gun becomes the favorite, but our money would be on the MP5 – or Lachmann Sub – as we think it’ll be called.